National and international toll-free communication services currently exist and are regulated by use and allowance based on specific called numbers that are recognized by the network originating the calls. For example, national toll-free communication systems use “0800” numbers, which can be re-recognized only at the national level, where callers must call from the same country in which the number has been allocated. The caller and the owner of the called number are always in the same country for use of the national toll-free system. Consequently, dialing from a foreign country is not allowed when using the national toll-free communication system.
International, toll-free, existing communications systems can use the national “0800” numbers and route calls to certain numbers in a particular country. For example, the international toll-free service can be used with national “0800” numbers when the caller and the owner of the called number are in the same country, or when the owner of the called number has purchased the toll-free service for use of telephone numbers in a particular country so that other callers can call the owner.
A Universal International Free-phone Number (UIFN) service can be used where, for example, the country code is “0800”, and the number can be called from the same or different countries, such as the caller and the owner of the called number are in the same country, or both are in other countries and the services are paid by a subscriber. The Universal International Free-phone Number (UIFN) system can provide the calls to certain numbers at a free-of-charge rate for the caller as the company subscribing to the service can subsequently pay for the charges. However, this system provides very limited or no control over the individual using the service, and can result in high charges to the owners of the numbers or subscribers as the system does not generally provide verification of the callers' identity.
The existing toll-free communication systems are generally based on special numbers issued by regulatory agencies, either nationally or by the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”) for UIFN, and can be implemented on Intelligent Networks, where called numbers, in particular the specifically assigned new numbers beginning with the designation “0800”, need to be set-up in the databases of each of the operators for networks from which the call will originate. Then, the calls are only allowed if the called number has been recognized by the network originating the call.
The existing wireless carrier networks, while able to support the placement of a call to a toll-free number from mobile devices, are not network providers of toll-free service themselves. These carriers do not provide toll-free mobile service. Further, the mobile industry's numbering standards do not support a toll-free number as an assignable mobile device's number.
Thus, a need exists for a toll-free telecommunications system, that allows toll-free telecommunications service from a public telephone network or a telecommunications network to a mobile device without the limitations of the currently existing “toll-free communication systems”.
A need exists for toll-free systems and methods for providing universal and domestic toll-free access, one-stage dialing, and use of the same toll-free called telephone number as the destination toll-free telephone number and the caller identification value.
The embodiments meet these needs.